Mainz - Magonza

Mainz is the capital of the Rhineland-Palatinate.

To know

Mainz is a pleasant city of provincial dimensions, although it has held the rank of capital of the federal state since 1950 Rhineland-Palatinate. The city is famous for its cathedral, for its carnival, second only to that of Colony for the turnout of the public and also for being the birthplace of Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of printing, in whose honor the Johannisnacht (John's Night).

Mainz is also renowned for the production of fine wines: together with eight other cities including Verona, Florence, Port is Bordeaux, is part of the circuit "Great wine capitals". The annual wine fair (Mainzer Weinmarkt) in early September, attracts wine lovers from every corner of Europe. Local wines can be tasted in one of the many Weinstuben, typical wineries with an intimate and friendly atmosphere.

The convivial, or rather symposium-like atmosphere that reigns in the city can be summarized in a refrain that is sung at the top of their lungs by all the carnival participants: "Mainz bleibt Mainz, wie es singt und lacht", or" as long as he sings and laughs, Mainz will always be Mainz. "The eve of Rose Monday (Rosenmontag) the refrain is sung by costumed actors on the stage of the small court theater of the Palazzo dell'Elettorato and is known at the Pan-Germanic level as the show is broadcast every year by state TV channels.

Geographical notes

Mainz is located on the left bank of the Rhine, just north of the point where it meets the Main and almost opposite the spa town of Wiesbaden, state capital ofHesse.

Background

The founding of Mainz is traditionally attributed to the Roman legions. These arrived there with a good approximation in 13 BC. under the command of Drusus major, son of Augustus and erected a castrum, probably attracted by the high ground known today as Oberstadt (upper city) whose top allowed for easy control of river traffic right at the point where the Main flows into the Rhine. The camp was given the name of "Mogontiacum", by a Celtic deity, Mogon, comparable to the Greco-Roman one. of Apollo. The subsequent arrival of artisans and traders aimed at satisfying the provisioning and other daily needs of the legionaries, led to the rise of an urban center which was perhaps given the title of Roman colony under the Flavians. Already in 350 AD. the city appeared rather devoid of legionaries and in 368 it was sacked for the first time by the Alemanni and about forty years later by Vandals, Suebi and Alani.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Mogontiacum appears firmly in the hands of Clovis, the founder of the Merovingian dynasty who converted to Christianity in 496. The first bishop of Mainz of which we have certain information, San Bonifacio, dates back to the time of the Carolingians. . The bishop pursued active evangelization work of the Germanic tribes and ended his days in 754, killed by the Frisi. His body was brought back to Mainz and then buried in the abbey of Fulda.

Archbishop Willigis (975-1011) had the majestic cathedral built which in his designs was to serve as a solemn frame for the coronation of the members of the Ottonian dynasty, at the time emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as kings of Italy and Germany. It was at this time that a Jewish community was formed in Mainz which rapidly spread to neighboring cities and organized itself into councils. The community was then the subject of repeated progrom, the first of which dates back to 1096: irregular bands under the command of some crusaders showed up under the walls of Mainz and decided to exterminate them before leaving for the Holy Land. The Jews, rather than falling into their hands, chose collective suicide inside the episcopal palace left empty by the bishop who, given the bad parade, had preferred to escape.

In 1236, in the context of the conflict between Emperor Frederick II and the papacy, the citizens of Mainz were somewhat pampered by both sides with the granting of various privileges such as tax exemption and the right to impose customs taxes. The citizens of Mainz ended up taking the side of Bishop Siegfried III of Eppstein who not only confirmed the privileges granted by the emperor and his son Conrad IV of Swabia but also gave them the possibility of constituting a parliament of 24 members, chosen however only among the patrician families. The bishop still abrogated military conscription. These measures were decisive for the economic development of the city in the years to come.

For their part, the archbishops of Mainz pursued an active policy in the European context of the time, greatly increasing their power. In 1356 Charles IV promulgated The Golden Bull with which he sanctioned the procedure for the election of the emperor. According to the edict, the election of the Emperor was delegated to an assembly of seven members, three of whom were the archbishops of Colony, Mainz and Trier.

In 1348 an epidemic of the black plague decimated the population. At that time the first disagreements arose between the bourgeoisie that had established itself thanks to the freedoms granted in the previous century and the clergy who exerted pressure on the bishop to revoke these rights. A schism also followed with the election of two bishops, one elected by the pope on whose side was the bourgeoisie and the other elected by the clergy who enjoyed the support of the emperor. Civic liberties were definitively revoked in 1456. A year earlier Johannes Gutenberg had finished printing the Bible and 180 copies of the book had been put up for sale in Frankfurt, arousing buyers' enthusiasm for their typographic quality.

The beginning of the following century was marked by the reform carried out by Martin Luther whose theses knew a rapid diffusion thanks to the movable type printing invented by Gutenberg. Caspar Hedio, a theologian of the University of Mainz who had adhered to the reform, distributed hundreds of papers denouncing the trade in indulgences promoted by the papacy, arousing the indignation of the citizens but the bishop Albert of Hohenzollern sided in favor by chasing the theologian and giving orders to the Augustinians to spread the propaganda phrase among the people "as soon as a coin thrown into the alms box tinkles, a soul flies away from Purgatory". After all, the bishop had bought the office by borrowing 20,000 florins from the banker Fugger and the pope allowed him to keep half of the money obtained from the sale of indulgences in his diocese to allow him to repay the loan. The bishop had numerous lovers who also gave him children. Some of her concubines posed as models for the court painters Lucas Cranach and Matthias Grünewald who portrayed them in the form of madonnas and saints.

The Thirty Years War which broke out in 1618 as a conflict between European states that had adhered to the reform and others that had remained faithful to Catholicism had dire repercussions on Mainz. In 1631 the city handed itself over to the king of Sweden Gustavo Adolfo on the promise of honorable treatment. However, the king made a handful of all the works of art in the city and gave orders to transport them to Stockholm. Unfortunately the ship with its precious cargo sank in the Baltic. Gustavo Adolfo died the following year and his chancellor had Mainz sacked. The Swedish occupation ended in 1636 leaving behind a plague epidemic.

Mainz suffered further devastation by the French army also during the War of the Great Alliance (1688-1697) which saw opposing the Bourbons of France and the Habsburgs of Austria for reasons of dynastic succession in the Electorate of the neighbor Palatinate. The Age of Enlightenment saw the enthusiastic adherence of the prime minister and brother of the prince-elector Anton Heinrich Friedrich von Stadion to the theories developed by Voltaire and Rousseau. He carried out numerous reforms in the fields of education and the economy to the disadvantage of the Jesuits.

The last prince-archbishop of Mainz was Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal (1719 - 1802). He too was open to the ideas of the Enlightenment to the point of being disliked by the papacy. However, he reversed with the outbreak of the French Revolution. The revolutionary army conquered the city in 1792 forcing the bishop to flee and proclaiming the republic of Mainz which had a troubled life until the advent of Napoleon I. After the latter's fall, the Congress of Vienna assigned Mainz and its territory (Rhenish Hesse) to the Grand Duchy of Hesse which retained a semblance of independence until 1918, when the office of Grand Duke was definitively abolished.

Mainz expanded especially after the demolition of the walls in 1871 but its development, even economic, was not comparable to that of the nearby Wiesbaden several times higher. From 1919 until 1930 Mainz was occupied by French troops as required by the Treaty of Versailles. At the time of National Socialism, Bishop Ludwig Maria Hugo openly opposed the regime. At the end of the war the city appeared to be 80% destroyed and again it was occupied by the French army which gave life to the current state of Rhineland-Palatinate choosing Mainz as its capital. Nonetheless, its industrial growth was modest in the context of the German economic miracle (Wirtschaftswunder) that characterized West Germany in the 1950s.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

The bus ride from the airport to Hahn lasts about an hour.

How to get around

What see

Religious architectures

• 49.9988898.2738891 Duomo (Mainzer Dom). Considered a masterpiece of Romanesque-Rhenish art, the cathedral of Mainz, dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, underwent a long series of interventions in the following centuries which altered the original construction of 983 commissioned by the bishop of Mainz, Willigis, with the probable aiming to increase his power by securing the coronation of the kings of Germany. Over the centuries the temple suffered repeated destruction due to both natural disasters and human action. During the years of the Republic of Mainz, established by the French revolutionary army, the cathedral was used as a military warehouse and stripped of many of its furnishings. In 1793, following the artillery shells of the Prussians who besieged the city, a fire broke out inside the temple which led to the destruction of the wooden decorations and the adjoining library. The following year, the French revolutionary troops managed to reoccupy the city; the works that survived the fire were auctioned. The bombing of August 1942 destroyed the roofs and the upper floor of the ambulatory. Sometimes, however, they were able to resist. Restoration works were undertaken after the war and lasted for about 20 years. Another series of restorations began in 2001 and ended fifteen years later.  

• 49.9955568.2686112 Church of Santo Stefano (Pfarrkirche Sankt Stephan). Together with the cathedral, the church of Santo Stefano is one of the symbols of the city. In fact, it stands on a slight rise, just enough for its structure to emerge from the roofs of the old city, thus contributing to characterize the city landscape. It was destroyed twice, in 1857 following the explosion of a powder keg and in 1945 following the bombing of the RAF. The interior of the church has three naves of equal height which reveal the original Gothic layout. The polychrome stained glass windows of the mullioned and triple mullioned windows that illuminate the choir were made in 1978 by Marc Chagall who was inspired by themes from the old and new testament.  

• 50.00728.266393 Church of Christ (Christuskirche), Kaiserstraße 56, ☎ 49 6131 234677. First Protestant church to be built in Mainz.  
• 49.9971368.2748254 Church of Sant'Agostino (Augustinerkirche). Built between 1768 and 1772, on a 13th century church, also built by the friars of the mendicant order of St. Augustine shortly after their arrival in Mainz, the church was deconsecrated in 1803 according to the provisions of the Lunéville treaty. following the battle of Marengo between Austria and France. The temple was spared from the ravages of World War II. The entrance portal is surmounted by a sculptural group depicting the Coronation of the Virgin by the Trinity between the statues of Saint Augustine and his mother Saint Monica. The interior, with a single nave, is sumptuously decorated according to the dictates of the Rococo style in vogue at the time of its reconstruction. The main altar is decorated with statues. Of these, the one dedicated to the Virgin was part of the decorations of the pre-existing Gothic church. Also noteworthy is the organ built in 1772 by a local craftsman. There is an adjoining convent coeval to the church.  
• 50.0047088.2698535 Church of San Pietro (katholische Kirche St. Peter). A first church built in 944 outside the walls was totally destroyed by the Swedish artillery during the siege of Mainz in 1631. The reconstruction took place only in 1749 at the behest of the prince-bishop Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein, who commissioned the work to the court architect, Johann Valentin Thoman. The designer created a building in pure Rococo style with a facade with three overlapping orders enclosed between two tall twin towers with a characteristic bulbous dome. During the occupation of the Napoleonic army, the church was deconsecrated and used as a stables. The frescoes of the interior, made by Giuseppe Appiani between 1752 and 1755 were completely lost following the bombing of the Second World War but were redone in the 70s of the twentieth century. Some furnishings are the original ones such as the white and gold wooden pulpit and the confessionals. Among the altars of the side chapels stands that of the Cross, (Kreuzaltar), left, with a 16th-century crucifix by Hans Backoffen.  
• 49.99588.278066 Church of Sant'Ignazio, Kapuzinerstraße 36. Contemporary with the churches of San Pietro and Sant'Agostino and built on a project by the court architect, Johann Valentin Thoman. The style of the facade is however completely different, more marked by the Baroque classicism of the pre-Rococo phase. The vault of the interior is decorated with frescoes by Johann Baptist Enderle in 1776 depicting scenes from the life of St. Ignatius. Lórgano placed on the gallery above the entrance dates back to 1779.  
• 50.00878.259317 New synagogue (Neue Synagoge), Synagogenplatz Corner Hindenburgstraße / Josefsstraße, ☎ 49 6131 210 8800.  

Civil architectures

• 49.99758.268338 Ostein Palace (Osteiner Hof). Baroque palace built between 1747 and 1752 to a design by Johann Valentin Thoman (1695-1777) and commissioned by Franz Wolfgang Damian von Ostein, brother of Elector Johann Friedrich Karl (1689-1763). The palace is famous because every year at 11:11 am on 11 November the mayor of Mainz looks out from the balcony of the noble floor of the palace, enunciating the 11 laws of the carnival.  
• 50.005288.271679 Palace of the Teutonic Order (Deutschhaus).  
• 50.00178.2699110 Dalberg Palace (Jüngerer Dalberger Hof).  
• 50.00038.2755611 Santo Spirito Hospital (Heilig-Geist-Spital).  

Military architectures

• 49.99318.2741712 Citadel of Mainz (Zitadelle Mainz), Windmühlenstraße.  
• 50.0018.2754713 Iron Tower (Eisenturm), Rheinstraße 59.  
• 49.99718.2780314 Wooden Tower (Holzturm), Holzstraße 34.  

Roman antiquities

• 49.99218.2742115 Cenotaph of Drusus (Drususstein). Ruin of a Roman tomb from the 1st century AD on the southern side of the upper town. The identification was possible thanks to a Latin inscription bearing the name of Drusus major, son of Augustus and Livia Drusilla, who died in 9 BC. following a fall from his horse during a military campaign in Germany.  
• 50.001358.2679716 Sanctuary of Isis and the Magna Mater (Heiligtum der Isis und Mater Magna). Discovered by chance in 1999, during the construction of a shopping arcade ("Römerpassage") in the center. Its identification was made possible thanks to the numerous votive inscriptions to the Egyptian goddess Isis and to the Magna Mater. It was built in the last third of the 1st century along the Roman road leading to the bridge over the Rhine. During the excavations, the remains of a necropolis belonging to the so-called "Hallstatt culture", which flourished in Central Europe from the late Bronze Age, were also found. (1200-800 BC) until the early Iron Age (800-600 BC). Among the tombs, one where a high-ranking female figure was buried, he returned objects from the funeral equipment. The finds are visible in the basement of Römerpassage.  
• 50.00538.2705517 Column of Jupiter (Große Mainzer Jupitersäule).  
• 50.005668.2699318 Arch of Dativius Victor (Dativius-Victor-Bogen), Ernst-Ludwig-Platz. Modest triumphal arch with a single arch from the 3rd century AD. The inscription on the attic bears the dedication to the decurion Dativius Victor.  
• 49.993158.2779319 Roman theatre (Römisches Theater), "Mainz Römisches Theater" station. Excavations of an ancient theater, the largest Roman theater north of the Alps with 10,000 seats.  

Museums

• 49.9997228.27527820 Gutenberg Museum, Liebfrauenstraße 5, ☎ 49 6131 122503. Tue-Sat 09: 00-17: 00, Sun 11: 00-17: 00. There are exhibited the first books printed in Europe, printing presses and lithography machines of various eras and forms. In 1978 the museum acquired two of the 46 original copies of the "42-line Bible", the first printed book produced by Gutenberg, which proved that the nova form scribendi he had nothing to envy to the art of scribes. Due to their inestimable value, the two original copies are protected in a vaulted room equipped with surveillance cameras and a sophisticated alarm system. In the basement of the museum, Gutenberg's laboratory was reproduced, which today is the museum's major attraction. Visitors have the opportunity to witness the operation of the machines designed by Gutenberg at the end of the sixteenth century for the production of printed books. The typographers at work wear the costumes of the time. The opening hours of the laboratory differ from those of the museum but no reservation is required and the price is included in the entrance fee.  
• 50.003858.2677821 Mainz State Museum (Landesmuseum Mainz), Große Bleiche 49-51, ☎ 49 6131 28570. Tue 10: 00-20: 00, Wed-Sun 10: 00-17: 00. The museum is housed in a large building that once housed the Elector's stables, also known as the Golden Horse Barracks. The core of the collections is made up of works of art confiscated by order of Napoleon I, to which others belonging to Duke Giovanni Giorgio of Saxony were added. In the halls of the lapidary, vestiges from the Roman provinces of lower and upper Germany are exhibited. It is the largest collection of Roman antiquities beyond the Alps. The pre-Roman collections include very interesting finds such as a polychrome glass dog figurine from a Celtic tomb from the 2nd century BC. of the necropolis of Wallertheim. Among the medieval works of art, the statues that adorned the portal of the Gothic church of Santa Maria al Mercato stand out. Also noteworthy are the porcelain collections from the factory in Höchst and Art Nouveau glassware. The 20th century art collections include, among other things, numerous paintings by the Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies, a work by Picasso from 1908 entitled "Head of a Woman" and by other artists such as Max Klinger, Käthe Kollwitz and Max Liebermann, all classified by the regime of National Socialism as exponents of degenerate art.  
• 49.99418.2804222 Museum of Ancient Naval Constructions (Museum für Antike Schifffahrt), Neutorstraße 2b, ☎ 49 6131 286630. Tue-Sun 10 am-6pm.  
• 50.00618.2697223 Central Romano-Germanic Museum (Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum), Ernst-Ludwig-Platz 2, ☎ 49 6131 91240. Fri 10: 00-18: 00.  

Events and parties

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Night clubs

• 50.0098.264511 Fiszbah, Raimundistr. 13, ☎ 49 6131 670330. Mon-Thu 18: 00-02: 00, Fri-Sat 18: 00-04: 00. Renowned little place with sexy waiter and music of the most different kind. You go to the Fiszbah to drink beer but you can also eat (limited menu) But they also serve brunch on weekends. 
• 50.010798.26652 Hafeneck, Frauenlobstraße 93, ☎ 49 6131-4801977. Tue-Thu 12: 00-15: 00 & 18: 00-01: 00, Fri-Sat 18: 00-02: 00, Sun 18: 00-01: 00. Pub frequented by football fans and neighborhood freaks. Live music with guests such as Whiskey Rabbi and Vicky Vomit. It has a serzio restaurant with salads, classic schnitzels and pancakes. 
• 50.001668.263543 Good Time and Alexander the Great, Hintere Bleiche 18a and 8. Wed 20: 00-02: 00, Thu-Sat 21: 00-06: 00. Renowned Hard Rock pub. The drinks (cider and hydromium) are served in stylized metal containers in the shape of a horn as in use in the time of Alexander the Great. The background music is very varied and ranges from classical to Death Metal (depending on the days). 
• 50.001638.260324 Besitos, Bahnhofpl. 4 (On the station square), ☎ 49 6131 5543834. Mon-Sat 10: 00-01: 00. Spanish restaurant / cocktail bar. Huge discounts every Monday. 
• 49.9954578.283625 Mole-Biergarten am Winterhafen, Victor-Hugo-Ufer, ☎ 49 6131 221990. Mon-Sun 10: 00-00: 00. Beer garden with great views of the Rhine. 
• 49.997068.274076 Frankfurter Hof, Augustinerstrasse 55, ☎ 49 6131 220438. Live music venue with a clientele aged 30 and over. It is an events center that hosts concerts by both established names and emerging pop music artists. 

Where to eat

Mainz specialties are:

• Spundekäse (in dialect Spundekäs), a preparation based on fresh cheeses, butter, flavored with a curdled milk cream. Depending on the recipe, various herbs and spices can be added. On the premises it is generally served as a snack along with savory crackers to accompany a glass of white wine. It is also found in supermarkets.

• Handkäse or Mainzer Käse is another preparation based on curdled milk that can also be found in Frankfurt and in the other centers ofHesse. It gives off a strong odor that many people find unpleasant. It can be round (like a potato) or square in shape and is often garnished with cumin or minced garlic. L' Handkäse means "cheese (made) by hand" and is usually accompanied by glasses of cider (Apfelwein). In this case it is said "Handkäse mit Musik"(literally: with music). The apparently bizarre name is due to the flatulence it often causes.

• Weck, Worscht a Woi - Another snack to accompany the wine. Weck is the oval sandwich, Worscht is the frankfurter e Woi stands for wine.

• Nierenragout is a dish based on stewed kidneys.

• Mainz ham - Very similar in appearance and cut (but not in taste) to the Italian ham from Mainz (Mainzer Schinken) was famous and highly regarded in France. He disappeared from clubs and tables after the Second World War. The ancient recipe was resurrected by a local butcher in 2007 but rarely appears on the restaurant menu and it is much easier to find imported Italian ham.

Moderate prices

• 50.001658.2594381 Meenzer Worschtstubb, Bahnhofplatz 1, ☎ 49 6131 1432772. Sausages and fried. 
• 50.0007888.2694742 Thai Express, Franziskanerstraße 3, ☎ 49 6131 6299566. Thai cuisine. 
• 49.9962388.2756843 Bestworscht, Augustinerstraße 11, ☎ 49 6131 88 62 110. From 3 €. Mon-Thu 11: 00-20: 00, Fri-Sat 11: 00-22: 00. Currywurst (grilled sausage) accompanied by various sauces. The spicy version has a very strong taste and is not for delicate palates. Scattered around the city are several bars with the Bestworsch sign. 
• 50.0059318.2595874 N'Eis - Das Neustadteis, Gartenfeldpl. 12, ☎ 49 6131 4870677. Renowned ice cream shop. Long queues often form. 

Where stay

Moderate prices

• 50.00228.2851 Maaraue campsite (Campingplatz Maaraue), Maaraustraße 48, ☎ 49 6134 257 5922. Extensive campsite on the opposite bank of the Rhine. 

Safety

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